dmf

I got a Kindle 3 w/ 3G for Valentine's Day and I LOVE it!! The screen quality is fantastic and MUCH better than reading on a normal computer screen. It's definitely better for books than articles, but I've had decent luck with converting PDF articles so far. Occasionally tables, figures, legends, and citations get a little messed up but usually still decipherable. I probably won't use it as my only copy of important articles, but as a second super portable one or just to skim papers/ keep up with the lit. Also, you can send all kinds of personal documents (.doc, .docx, etc) to it which can be really useful. As someone else mentioned, it would be great for reviewing notes if you type them anyway. I had a very long trip for an interview right after getting my Kindle and it was great to be able to review interviewers' papers, my SOP, my thesis, etc. Much easier than carrying and shuffling through a huge folder of stuff. So, in summary, I would say that it's fantastic for books and articles that are mostly text. Not as good but workable for more technical stuff (figures, equations, tables). If that's what you read most, it might be worth investing in an iPad or something. But if you mainly do text, go for the Kindle. I plan on mainly using it for pleasure reading (which I've been able to squeeze in way more of since I had it) and we'll see how much I integrate it into my grad studies. Also, random note- the Kindle is 10000000x easier to read in bed than a book, which is usually the only time I have to read for fun!

I know, I know... And I'm not even that bad at figuring this kind of thing out (always do my own taxes etc). I'm just really bad at sitting down and getting around to it. I do have an easy way to take $X out of my checking account every month and divert to savings. Probably the easiest way to deal with it. And this way, if you overestimate "withholdings," you get the interest instead of Uncle Sam! Anyone know if we're taxed only on the stipend or the full fellowship amount (tuition, fees, etc)?

I know that in the fellowship letter I received, it stated that it was taxable income, but nothing would be withheld. I have to take care of all of that on my own (calculate how much I'll own and set it aside). This sounds like a huge pain to me and am wondering if it's worth the extra $1000 the fellowship gives me over the standard department GAship where they take care of tax stuff for you. Also, if my fellowship covers tuition (instead of it being waived), is this counted as income or immediately deducted? All I know is that this is going to be a very confusing tax year for me! 1/2 year salary from current job, 1/2 year from grad fellowship, getting married partway through the year, moving to a different state for employment purposes....

Yup, and am apparently wait listed. I'm trying to decide whether or not to wait it out or just accept another offer that I really like. As far as decisions go, I only got the official notification from Pitt yesterday and turned in everything by Jan 3. It sounds like the funding in the department is much tighter than usual and is making decisions much harder. That could well be the case throughout the entire school. Also, it seems like all the departments are on completely different timetables. Did you check the department websites carefully? The IDM site had a vague time line for decisions on it. Unless you know that acceptances have gone out for your department, I wouldn't worry too much yet! Have either of you visited Pitt? If so, any general opinions or impressions you'd like to share?

Just curious, but what specific programs at Pitt are you both interested in?

I don't know if there is one right way to do this, but I'll share what I did. I chose emails because they were faster and easier and I'm horrible at getting things into the mail. Also, who knows if thank you's play a role in decisions, but I wanted to make sure mine got there before the committee met. Here's a list of the ones I sent: Program administrator- She did the most to organize the visit and help me with all my arrangements. I kept this one short and sweet. Thanked her for her help, said it was good to finally meet her, mentioned a few of my favorite things about the program, and confirmed my continuing interestProgram chair- I didn't meet with her directly but she led an info and question and answer session. Very brief- I really enjoyed visit, very interested in program, look forward to hearing from youProfessors with whom I interviewed- Sent each a personalized thank you and mentioned at least one thing from our conversation/about their research. Put more effort into the ones for the POIs I'd really hit it off with but was friendly and polite in all of them. One good thing about emails directly to POIs is they might reply and drop a hint! I wouldn't expect it, but I got really nice replies from all the people I wrote to with varying degrees of hints. One even included a "I was talking to Dr. X and you're right at the top of our list ; )" Good luck!

Smarmie- I got that one too and thought the wording was quite strange! As if the grad secretary would go against the department's recommendation. Still, by stating it that way, it made me feel twice as rejected. Also, it's sort of nice that they realize how hard we work and how much money we spend in the application process, but it sort of felt like they were re-opening the wounds and rubbing salt into them...

I grew up in W-S and lived for years in Ardmore. My family currently lives in West End. These are the two neighborhoods closest to the Bowman Grey and where most med/grad students live. While the area might not have a huge Indian population, these neighborhoods and the medical campus are quite culturally diverse. This might not be as much of the case if you head out to the suburbs and surrounding rural areas but you'll likely feel very comfortable and welcome anywhere in the city itself, and especially in the neighborhoods I mentioned. Those areas are also close to downtown which has recently gotten a lot nicer and has great restaurants, theaters, bars, a brand new baseball stadium, and fun street festivals. I'm actually kind of jealous that the area has gotten so much cooler since I left! I would have loved to go to Wake for grad school if they had a program that better fit my interests. To speak more about living in W-S as a foreigner, my mother teaches ESL (English as a second language) in elementary school so deals a lot with newly arrived students and their families. About half of her students come from South and Central American but the others come from all over the world (including India). There are communities of refugees from several different places (Lotsampas from Bhutan/Nepal, Karennis from Burma, etc). There are also a lot of people affiliated with Bowman Grey and Wake (doctors and professors) who have come from all over the world to practice and teach there. While life can be quite hard for some of the refugees and illegal immigrants, I think the more middle class and educated immigrants face very little (if any) discrimination or hostility based on culture or religion. Also, just a detail, but there are a few really good Indian restaurants as well! I'm by no means an expert, but I have spent several months in India and have become much more picky about Indian food since. My favorite one is close to the hospital and has a delicious and affordable lunch buffet. If you have any more questions, feel free to post them here or pm me. Congrats on your acceptance at Wake and good luck with your decision!

Good to know everyone else is dealing with the same thing! My fiance has been really supportive and patient with me throughout the whole process but I'm sure he's sick and tired of all my crap and how it distracts me from doing useful things around the house. He's at a pretty flexible point in his career so will be able to follow me wherever I go and I only applied places that he generally approved of the area. For a while now, I've been thinking that I might only have one offer and have been trying to sell him on the area (probably his last choice of the places I applied). It seemed like he was getting excited about the move but..... Today I found out that I'm wait-listed at another school in a city he'd prefer. If it were up to me, I'd probably just accept the offer I have and withdraw from the wait-list because I really like the program that I'm accepted to. Now, all of a sudden, I feel like he's really pressuring me to wait on the other school (and probably pay out of pocket for us to visit). He's straight up said he'd follow me wherever I go, but as someone else mentioned, I don't want him to give in and then be miserable and resentful for the next 5 years. But then again, I'm really not convinced the two cities are that different in ways that matter to either of us. Can't wait for it all to be over and just know where we're moving this fall...

Accepted to UAlbany/Wadsworth BMS with fellowship. Wait listed for Pitt IDM, in response to inquiry. Rejected from Berkeley IDI, in response to inquiry. Trying to decide if I should visit Pitt and/or wait till close to April 15th to see if I get in, or just accept Albany now since I loved it and the funding is decent....

Thanks! All good ideas, some of which I'm already working on. Is it acceptable to ask exact details of the wait-list? It would be really helpful to know if I'm in the top few or way down.... Does anyone know if visiting a program and/or contacting POIs while on the wait-list has any effect on their final decision? I can't wait for this all to be over and to know where I'm heading in the fall!!!

So I thought I had made up my mind... I've been accepted into a program that is a great research fit and that I loved during my interview visit. I was also awarded a prestigious fellowship there. When I heard the news, I was almost 100% sure that I would accept, both because I like the program so much and because I thought it might be my only acceptance. After hearing the news, I contacted the 2 schools I was still waiting on and got immediate responses- one reject and one wait-list. Now I'm really torn!!! The acceptance is from the lowest ranked/ least well know institution that I applied to but I don't think that's really representative of the program quality since its a weird hybrid program that's administered separately from the programs it's grouped with in the rankings. The resources and quality of research seem very high and the research fit is the best of any place I applied. The place that I just found out that I'm wait-listed is the next highest ranked program on my list, but not that much higher (in the 10s instead of the 20s). However, I know much less about this program and have not visited/contacted faculty/etc. I could arrange a visit now but it would be at my own expense. It seems like I could easily be waiting right up until April 15th to find out if I get in so I would have to visit before getting a final decision. So the real question is: Should I commit to the place that I've visited and love (but whose name carries a little less academic clout) and withdraw at the place I'm waitlisted, or should I take time off work and pay a lot of money to visit the program where I'm wait-listed and only then decide if I want to withdraw or wait until April 15th to hear?? Of course, I know the situation is more complicated than I've portrayed and its hard to advise without all the details, but I'm curious if others are in (or have been in) the same situation or have any general opinions. Thanks!

Finally got my first acceptance today! Knew the adcom was meeting today and POI had said she'd let me know ASAP so I'd been going nuts checking email and phone all day. Got the call at 6:30 while at the drug store waiting for a prescription to be filled.... Had to be quiet and act like a normal person for a whole 15min before I could get in my car and scream with joy! Then went home and ate a burrito and drank a beer! What a good feeling!!!!!!!!!!

Good to hear! I was super impressed when I visited and am kind of shocked that no one really knows about it. My guess is that it's because it's based at the state health department, not the school so it exists outside of most academic circles...

Here are the PhD programs I applied to and my results so far... (all the definite info is posted on the Results board) Harvard SPH Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH)- Reject letter last weekUniversity of Washington SPH Pathobiology- Reject email this past MondayWadsworth Biomedical Sciences (SUNY Albany SPH)- Interviewed Feb 17-18, adcom meeting TODAY (This is killing me! I've had lots of really positive hints from profs about admission and a fellowship but couldn't sleep last night and when I did, had dreams of getting rejected. My heart stops every time a new email comes in...)Berkeley SPH Infectious Disease and Immunity- I haven't heard anything, except confirmation they received my app. Have seen interview invites and rejections on Results but have received neither. In application purgatory.Pittsburgh GSPH Infectious Disease and Microbiology- I haven't heard anything, except confirmation they received my app. Website says accepted candidates will be notified mid-February (do not interview). One reject after inquiry posted in Results. Heard they are accepting way fewer than usual this year due to $ problems. Still holding out a tiny bit of hope, but not much...Hopefully I'll get good news from Wadsworth today, which I LOVED when I interviewed. Once I have an acceptance in hand, I'll call/email Berkeley and Pitt to see what's up. Just don't have the heart to call and probably get bad news until I have an acceptance elsewhere. Will keep all posted on what I hear from those programs. Seems like all the programs got significantly more/better applicants than usual for fewer than usual spots....What a year to apply! Good luck to us all!

What about your research interests? Are you still really undecided? There's quite a difference between a program focused on genetics vs. a physiology program. While some of the big questions/goals of research may be similar, the techniques and thought processes can be really different. The molecular and cellular biology program probably has some of both so if you don't know if you like genetics or physiology, this might be the best choice. My training and research experience is mainly in genetics and molecular biology but I'm currently working in more of a cell bio/physiology lab and I find it very frustrating. I find cell phys experiments to be much more of throwing stuff into a black box and seeing what comes out and trying to interpret it. Where as with more molecular/genetic approaches, it is easier to dissect important processes and know exactly what is happening. Of course, you then have to step back and consider what those mechanistic findings mean in a whole cell/organism. Just to give you an example of things to consider between the two... I have an oddly specific interest so I'm not particularly familiar with any of these programs but I urge you to think about the kinds of scientific questions and approaches you're interested in. Of course, I'm sorry if you've already done this and there is an unstated research interest that ties the programs together.

One of my programs has sent out both interview invites and generic rejection emails so far (assuming the results board can be trusted) and I have yet to receive either. Could they be holding on to my application in the off chance that all their interviewees are terrible and they have to invite more? Any other possible explanations? The program is UC Berkeley Infectious Disease and Immunology (through SPH) if anyone has specific insider info...

Thanks for posting this! It has a lot of other interesting comparisons too. Of course, who knows how accurate it is... Anyway, made me feel a little better about the difference between my current Boston salary and stipend figures from programs elsewhere. It pretty much lines up with the math I'd already been doing, but good to see some confirmation that those stipend numbers aren't as low as they actually sound!

Oh my gosh... almost the exact same thing happened with my GRE scores at my first choice program! SO FRUSTRATING. And the email I got was equally short and unappologetic..."Thanks for your interest in our program. Your application was considered incomplete and was not reviewed." As if they had no idea they were crushing my soul with the news. After showing them papers from ETS showing I had confirmation that the scores were sent, they said they would throw my application in for consideration IF they got to another round of interview invites. Not even being considered after all the work that my recommenders and I put into completing this application was really upsetting. Worst thing is that that I know they only get 50-100 apps a year, not the 1000s that bigger programs have to slug through AND they had my self-reported scores. Like others have mentioned though, I'm trying to convince myself that a department that would treat applicants like this probably is pretty shitty to its students too so maybe this saved me years of misery in a unsupportive program...

YES, this! Hoping to move to a cheaper city (unless my dream but total reach school come through) where we can actually afford to have a bike room. Also, probably won't care enough about work at that point to let it interfere with training and racing... Oh, and also planning my July/Aug wedding!

I think it really depends on the person, the extent of your relationship, and the overall environment of the department. For example, EVERYONE called my undergrad research mentor Dr. X (last initial as name was super long and hard to pronounce). That's how she introduced herself, signed emails, etc so I called her that throughout the 4 years and 2 summers that I worked for her. Also, despite our extensive research relationship, we never had much of a personal relationship. However, I called most of the other profs that I dealt with on a regular basis by their first names. Although it took me a little while to feel comfortable with that (and make sure that that's what they preferred), I really liked the friendly, collaborative feeling that this gave to our relationships. Currently, I call the big PI of my lab Dr. LastName, but I only see him once a week in lab meeting. I call my immediate supervisor (whose grant is paying my salary) and my other immediate coworkers by first name. I also call many of the other PIs I interact with the most in the department by first name. The only one of my prospective grad school profs I've been contacted by, introduced herself as Dr. LastName, and the department administrator also referred to her this way in an email. So there are no hard and fast lines... feel out the specific situation and do what is most comfortable for everyone involved.

Let's see if I can bring this thread back to life... I just got my first interview invite and am wondering about this whole situation. This school is somewhere that neither my fiance or I have ever visited and we've been pretty unhappy living where we currently are so have decided that location is important to us. He wouldn't want to come to any of the events, just explore the city and maybe visit the department that he'd apply to next year if we end up there. Driving would be the easiest way to get there (mileage reimbursement is offered by the department) so he could tag along on that part not trouble. Lodging is really the question... Is it appropriate to ask, as the first poster did, to pay part of the room fee to not have to share with another prospective student (or offer to book on our own and ask for partial reimbursement) or should I just go with whatever they have planned and have him get his own room? I'd appreciate hearing what others have done in this situation and how it worked out!

I would definitely contact the department and check... I know my department (Infectious disease) is still accepting applications even thought the deadline was Jan 3. Also, I know that my SOPHAS app didn't make it by the deadline (but was submitted through SOPHAS by the date) and it didn't seem to be a problem at all. Good luck!

Congrats! I just got engaged too but we're trying to throw the wedding together for this August, right before I hopefully start a PhD program. I personally didn't want to worry about planning right after moving to a new place and starting a new program but I'm sure tons of people do it just fine. I've also wondered about the whole stigma thing as a woman in science. I've heard that it can be both a positive (seen as more stable and rooted) and a negative thing ("I bet she'll get knocked up and leave science") as you progress in your career... I'm currently trying to figure out how to bring my fiance along on interviews (he'll obviously be moving where ever I end up so wants to get a feel for the areas) without making a huge deal of it with my programs. Anyway, I guess I don't have any concrete advice but wanted to say congrats and good luck!

Interview at SUNY Albany Feb 17-18! Still no other news...